It has been a while since COVID-19 was first discovered and since then, the world has accepted and adapted to an endemic COVID-19 new normal. Having gone through several waves of COVID-19 mutations, many countries are now better equipped with the necessary know-how in their continued war against future outbreaks. Constant vigilance of the situation and long-term preparations must be carried out in anticipation of dangerous mutations as the virus continues to evolve, and the possibility of the next big pandemic.

In this article, we explore several COVID-19 and related respiratory disease detection methods that could be utilised in different circumstances. From nasal swabs to pocket-sized breath testing devices to screen for infectious diseases, the field of non-invasive medical diagnostics has seen numerous innovative accelerations since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

ViraWarn: US pocket-sized breath analyser to detect COVID-19, influenza within 60 secs

Opteev Technologies of Baltimore develops a breath analyser, ViraWarn, that can detect COVID-19, influenza and the infection known as RSV (for respiratory syncytial virus) in less than 60 seconds. Rather than taking nasal swabs, a person breathes twice into the device and a light will indicate a positive or negative result. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing the technology, which is not yet available for sale.

BreFence Go COVID-19 breath test system

Developed by a spinoff company from the National University of Singapore, the BreFence Go COVID-19 Breath Test System, could streamline medical diagnostics by providing a non-invasive way to collect critical health data. The BreFenceTM Go is a real-time, non-invasive COVID-19 Breath Test System intended for the qualitative detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human breath. The VOCs being detected are indicative of the presence of COVID-19 disease. The BreFenceTM Go is intended for use in point-of-care settings, hospitals, clinical laboratories and clinical settings by trained operators. The Breathonix BreFenceTM Go COVID-19 Breath Test System is approved in several markets including Singapore, Malaysia and EU.

Livzon PCR test for sars-cov-2 antigen

Requiring only 30 minutes to display the results, the LIVZON PCR test kits (polymerase chain reaction) are more accurate than the ART (antigen rapid test) to detect actual ongoing viral infection. It works by detecting the COVID-19 virus genes by fluorescence PCR (including Omicron strains or variants). With a clinical sensitivity and specificity > 98.5%, the test kit received regulatory approval for professional use in China (NMPA), European Union (EU IVDD) and Macau.

First over-the-counter combination test for Covid-19 and influenza viruses

Hailed as the flu and COVID-19 test, it was designed for home use: the Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single-use at-home test kit that provides results from self-collected nasal

swab samples in roughly thirty minutes. With this all-rounder test kit, patients can now get quick and accurate results testing for COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in a cost-efficient way at their convenience. It also aids patients with an idea of what they are suffering from as they seek to inform their primary doctor to disclose their health status. Patients can also opt for telemedicine and share the initial diagnosis with their virtual doctors. The at-home combination Covid and flu test has been available in Canada since August 2022.